Shrimp and Grits
From Cooking Light

We have a serious obsession with Southern food in the HMK.  Considering that both of us grew up in Illinois and went to college in neighboring and decidedly Midwestern states, it’s a pretty unfounded obsession.  But nonetheless, it persists.  Chicago is, surprisingly, home to a number of gourmet establishments that dole out buttermilk biscuits, fried chicken, and sausage gravy to the masses.  We’ve been frequenting them all for years, and so it was only a matter of time before we starting churning out these delights in our own kitchen.  The high low point may have been the day I walked home from Aldi with a tub of Crisco and two bottles of vegetable oil so that we could deep fry chicken.  But more on that in a later post.

This recipe is much less shameful than our adventures in trans fats – heck, it’s a Cooking Light recipe!  And boy oh boy is it good.  We’ve had it at least 5 times, but this week we really nailed it by serving it up alongside collard greens for a true Southern feast.  It’s truely one of those home-cooked meals that really makes you wonder if eating out is all it’s cracked up to be.

Ingredients

• 3 cups milk
• 1 cup water
• 1 Tbsp butter
• 1/2 tsp salt, divided
• 1/4 tsp pepper, divided
• 1 cup uncooked quick-cooking grits
• 1/2 cup (2 oz) Parmesan cheese, grated
• 4 slices bacon
• 1 lb peeled, deveined  shrimp
• 1 cup white onion, thinly sliced into half-rings
• 2 cups grape tomatoes, halved
• 1 tsp chipotle chile, canned in adobo sauce, chopped (check the Mexican aisle, but if you can’t find them hot sauce would work too)
• 1/8 tsp crushed red pepper
• 1/4 cup green onions, cut into strips

Preparation

1. Combine milk, water, butter, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper in a saucepan over medium-high heat.  Bring to a simmer.
2. Gradually add grits, stirring constantly with a whisk.
3. Reduce heat to medium and cook 4 minutes, or until thick, stirring occasionally.
4. Remove from heat.  Stir in cheese.  Cover to keep warm.
5. Cook bacon in a skillet over medium heat until crisp.  Remove bacon from pan, crumble, and set aside.
6. Remove all but 2 teaspoons of bacon drippings from pan.
7. Add shrimp to bacon drippings and cook 2 minutes on each side, or until pink.  Remove shrimp and set aside.
8. Add onion to pan.  Saute 1 minute.
9. Add bacon crumbles, tomatoes, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and remaining 1/8 teaspoon pepper to pan.  Saute 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
10. Add shrimp, pepper sauce and red pepper to pan.  Cook 1 minute.
11. Serve shrimp mixture over grits, and top with green onion.

Serves 4.